Development of a rapid source preparation method for high-resolution alpha-particle spectrometry.

In order to prepare sources of short-lived actinides for alpha-particle spectrometry, a coprecipitation method with Sm hydroxide was developed. The preparation procedure can be completed within 5 min with a high chemical yield of over 90%. It was found that the uniformity of the produced sources was sufficient to provide a high resolution of better than 20 keV.

Experimental and theoretical study of anion-exchange preparative chromatography for neptunium: the first application to thorium(IV) and its equilibrium and kinetics.

In order to study equilibrium and kinetic parameters in anion-exchange chromatography for preparatory purpose, a quantitative model for nonlinear anion-exchange chromatography in porous media was constructed, by paying special attention to interstitial length along void structure (cm) distinguished from apparent length (cm*). Langmuir-type adsorption isotherm for thorium(IV), as a natural substitution for neptunium(IV), in 6 mol dm(-3) nitric acid to anion-exchanger MSA-1 (200-400 mesh) was investigated in batch-wise and chromatographic experiments. The equilibrium parameters determined by batch-wise experiments determined as k=2.

Radioactive decay speedup at T=5 K: electron-capture decay rate of (7)Be encapsulated in C(60).

The electron-capture (EC) decay rate of (7)Be in C(60) at the temperature of liquid helium (T=5 K) was measured and compared with the rate in Be metal at T=293 K. We found that the half-life of (7)Be in endohedral C(60) ((7)Be@C(60)) at a temperature close to T=5 K is 52.47+/-0.

Target preparation by the precipitation method for nuclear reactions.

A technique for preparing nuclear reaction targets of various thicknesses was developed by using common filtration technique of hydroxide precipitates with a porous Al(2)O(3) membrane filter. Uniformity was found to be within a few % in each thickness. Durability for beam irradiation was also confirmed.